A NEW chief executive has been appointed to head up the county's network of acute hospitals at Kidderminster, Worcester and Redditch.

John Rostill, currently chief executive of top-rated Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust, takes up his new post at the beginning of September.

The interim chief executive, Graham Smith, will work with him for a month before his departure to ensure a seamless handover.

Announcing the appointment, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust chairman Michael O'Riordan said: "John's track record in senior NHS management is impressive.

"He is renowned as a chief executive with a genuine commitment to patients and the community and to improving services, with a proven ability to hit key targets and deliver results."

The Walsall trust was awarded the top three stars last year and is on course to be a first-wave foundation trust, he added.

Mr Rostill said: "One of my earliest priorities will be to meet as many staff as possible as I visit the three hospitals.

"I will also be working hard to strengthen the Trust's relationship with patients and the public as well as its local NHS partners, local authorities and other stakeholder groups."